To make the pretzel dough, combine the water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Let them sit until the yeast becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add the flour, 4 Tbsp. of the melted butter, salt, seasonings, and parmesan.  Turn the mixer on low until the flour is all absorbed, then turn it up to medium and knead for 5-6 minutes.  The dough should form a ball and pull away from the sides, and is ready when you gently press a finger into and it springs back.

After it is done kneading, oil a clean bowl.  Shape the dough into a ball (you may need to put a bit of oil on your hands) and place it in the oiled bowl.  Cover it with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise until doubled—this should take 1-2 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

While the dough is rising, heat a frying pan over medium high heat.  When you flick water at it and the droplets dance and sputter, it’s hot enough.  Add the sausages and cook them for just a couple of minutes on each side.  You want the outsides to be nicely browned without cooking them all the way through—they finish cooking in the oven.  Insert a large bamboo skewer into the end of each, until it is about an inch from the end of the sausage.  They are now ready to be wrapped and roasted.

Once the dough has doubled, preheat the oven to 450° and line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.  Place about 10 cups of water into a large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat, then add ½ cup of baking soda.

Divide the dough into 10 evenly sized pieces (if you have a scale, they should be about 100 grams each), then roll each of them into a rope about 15-18 inches long.  Slightly flatten the rope of dough, then wrap it around one of the sausages, being sure to pinch the ends together to seal.

Carefully drop a pretzel brat into the boiling water and cook for 30-45 seconds.  Remove with a pair of tongs and place on one of the lined baking sheets.  Repeat the process with all of the sausage.  Once they’re all boiled, brush them with the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter and sprinkle with a bit of parmesan cheese.

Place the baking sheets in the oven for 20-25 minutes, checking them after 10 minutes to rotate the sheets.  Remove them from the oven when they are a deep golden brown all the way around.  Allow them to cool slightly, then serve with dipping sauce(s) of your choice.